Setting goals in the new year is easy, but sticking with them can be tricky.
A new year is here, which means its time for new year resolutions. If you’ve had trouble following through on your new year goals, you’re not alone. Here are five tips to help you achieve your goals so you can make this year your best year yet!
Write goals down and review them regularly
Writing your goals down makes them more real. Where you write them is up to you. You could jot them down in a journal, a planner, on post-it notes, or even type them into your phone! Keep them in a place that is easy to access so you can review them often. We created some free goal setting printables to help you get started: a weekly goal planner, a monthly goal planner, and a habit tracker. Goal setting printables are an easy, economical way to hold yourself accountable and stay on track. You can download more helpful printables in our free printables library, including a 2023 calendar that includes all of the major holidays, and undated weekly and monthly calendars so you customize your schedule just the way you like.
Create goals for different areas of your life
If you find yourself with a lot of goals and aren’t sure which ones to focus on, try breaking them out to different areas of your life. This will allow you to prioritize which goals are the most important so you can devote the right amount of attention to each one.
- Relationship Goals
- Personal Development Goals
- Career Goals
- Financial Goals
- Fitness Goals
- Fun and Recreation Goals
Make Your Goals SMART
SMART goals are a framework that will help you clearly define what you need to accomplish to successfully complete a goal within a certain time frame. Having your goals be time-bound will make them more urgent and actionable. To create a SMART goal, answer the following questions…
Specific – What specifically needs to be accomplished?
Measurable – How are you measuring the progress?
Achievable – What do you need to do to achieve the goal? Is it doable?
Relevant – Why are you setting this goal?
Time-bound – What is the deadline?
Here is an example:
Specific – I’d like to run a half-marathon this year.
Measurable – I will track my progress with my smart watch.
Achievable – I have been running shorter distances for a few months now so I should be able to take the next step and run a half-marathon
Relevant – My health is important and achieving this goal will be good for my fitness.
Time-bound – I have signed up for the local half-marathon in June, which gives me six months to train.
Track Your Progress
Check in with yourself regularly to stay on track. Schedule a daily or weekly time to look at what you have achieved so far and to make plans for next steps. Your goals might change as you work on them. Allow yourself the flexibility to adjust when needed and allow yourself some grace too if you aren’t able to accomplish a goal as quickly as you wanted. Remember, achieving your goals is a process!
Celebrate Your Successes
This is an important one and can easily be overlooked. Don’t forget to celebrate your wins, even if they are small. Sometimes we can get so focused on accomplishing our next goal, that we forget to recognize the work it took to reach our previous goal. Taking the time to reflect and recognize what you have accomplished so far will keep you motivated to keep moving towards the finish line.
What’s one goal you are looking forward to working on in the new year? Let us know in the comments!
